Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: baby darkseid, Batman, comic books, Comics, damain wayne, dark knights: metal, darkseid, dc, fco plascencia, greg capullo, HRL, jonathan glapion, Metal, Review, robin, scott snyder, the darkseid war, the return of bruce wayne

Dark Nights: Metal #2 Review: A Fun Love Letter To The DCU Continues

Published Tue, 12 Sep 2017 10:30:56 -0500

by Joe Glass

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Beware, this review does contain mild spoilers for Dark Nights: Metal #2.

Dark Nights: Metal #2 comes out this week and gives us the next part in the wild, crazy DC event, and it really does continue to be something quite unlike anything that's come before.

Greg Capullo is continuing to not only get to play with the widest range of the DC characters he's ever had the chance to before, and is clearly loving it, but also getting to inject a fair amount of heavy metal imagery into the proceedings. As a result, with Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia, the story looks and feels like something different than previous DC events.

It's not about going cosmic and widescreen with the superhero battles, but rather by adding the cosmic nightmare and gnashing teeth and thrashing chains of classic heavy metal.

The love for what they're doing is evident in the story, too, as Scott Snyder pulls out all kinds of Easter eggs, hints, links, and items from DCU past in a way that is celebratory. It feels like Snyder saying to the reader, "Look! Just look at the crazy, wild and awesome things we have to play with in the DCU!" There are references to the Legion of Doom, the Parliament of Trees, and yes, a heavy metal devil horns throwing Baby Darkseid, Snyder is pulling out all the wildest and craziest elements of DC in a way that celebrates them.

And for those worrying that this deep pulls from the past of DCU, or previous events like The Darkseid War and The Return of Bruce Wayne, would make the story inaccessible to new readers or lapsed readers, worry not. These elements are never put in the story in any way that derails the story. Rather, it's referential and just looks cool and wild. But for those intrigued by those elements, a wise DC would advertise those previous events and books in such a way that the new readers asking, "Wait, why is there a Baby Darkseid?" might be interested to go back and check those out.

In fact, when past stories are important to the actual progress of this story, in terms of the history of Snyder and Capullo's run on Batman, it is broken down and explained in a good way that will help new readers. Again, there'll be hints that will hook new readers to look back, but it's helpful and doesn't derail the story.

It's also nice to see Batman actually freaking out and being scared himself. It creates a sense of urgency in a DC story so well that when Batman, the man who uses fear to fight crime, is himself afraid, it automatically ups the stakes and the tension.

But that's not what Metal is about, after all! It's about the fun of the story, and Dark Nights: Metal #2 continues that. Hell, anything that includes Damian Wayne getting the most entertaining comeback to Wonder Woman I've ever seen him deliver as he's barrelling down the rainforest, the book continues to be so damn fun. And hey, a good example why Snyder should write Robin more, too, because he gives everyone's favourite precocious sociopath with a heart some cracking humour.

Dark Nights: Metal #2 keeps the ride going, by bringing in some more explanation, upping the stakes, and just showing how wild the DCU really is. It's so nice to see an event have such level and depth and be a whole heap of fun, too.

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